Editorial: Putting in the time at Purdue

A betting person would takes odds that say Gov. Mitch Daniels will walk onto the Purdue campus in January on his first official day as president with some doubters there, arms crossed and eyebrows cocked.

Since his selection, Daniels has weathered some blistering attacks on his credentials whether he can blend with the academic world.

Blend in might be a stretch. Daniels has never promised he'd simply join the flow. And based on his track record, he'll likely be one who does his best to alter the course.

But it's clear by now that Daniels is doing his part and making good on spending time on campus. As he said he would the day he was introduced, he's been a student of the university, trying to figure out how things work, what people say their missions are and what people believe they need out of the top administration to do their best work.

By most accounts, faculty and staff - many of whom still harbor questions about what the new president will mean for their corner of the campus - report that in meetings Daniels is open and accessible. They say he is asking the right questions and is willing to admit he still has a lot to learn. And they paint him as being sincere.

"It is much more about learning the job," Daniels told J&C reporter Eric Weddle in a story published Sunday. "The better the communication, the stronger the sense of common purpose is between the faculty, who are the core of the university, and whoever holds the job I'll hold, the better."

The apparent effort surely will pay off when Daniels reports for work at Purdue.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Editorial: Putting in the time at Purdue

Our take: The work Gov. Mitch Daniels is putting in now with faculty and staff will pay off when he starts as president of Purdue University.